family
a group of people who are considered to be related in some way
family of orientation
family in which one is born and grows up
family of procreation
formed when one marries and has children
neolocality
postmarital residence pattern in which a couple establishes a new place of residence rather than living with or near either set of parents
extended family household
an expanded family household includes three or more generations
descent group
a permanent social unit whose members claim common ancestry
patrilineal descent
automatically have lifetime membership in father's group
matrilineal descent
automatically have lifetime membership in mother's group
unilineal descent
descent rule uses only one line
lineage
unilineal descent group based on demonstrated descent
clan
unilineal descent group based on stipulated descent
patrilocality
rule that when a couple marries, it moves to the husband's community
matrilocality
married couples live in the wife's community, and children grow up in mother's village
exogamy
the practice of seeking a mate outside one's own group
incest
refers to sexual relations with a relative
endogamy
dictates mating or marriage within a group to which one belongs
bridewealth
a customary gift before, at ,or after marriage from the husband and his kin to the wife and her kin
progeny price
a gift from the husband and his kin to the wife and her kin before, at , or after marriage; legitimizes children born to the woman as members of the husband's descent group
dowry
a marital exchange in which the wife's group provides substantial gifts to the husband's family
plural marriages
marriage of a man to two or more women or marriage of a woman to two or more men at the the same time
polygyny
variety of plural marriage in which a man has more than one wife
polyandry
variety of plural marriage in which a woman has more than one husband
sororate
custom by which a widower marries the sister of the deceased wife
levirate
custom by which a widow marries the brother of her deceased husband
polygamy
marriage with three or more spouses at the same time
animism
belief in souls or doubles
cargo cults
postcolonial, acculturative, religious movements common in Melanesia that attempt to explain European domination and wealth and to achieve similar success magically by mimicking European behavior
communal religions
In Wallace's typology, these religions have- in addition to shamanic cults- cults in which people organize community rituals such as harvest ceremonies and rites of passage
communitas
intense community spirit, a feeling of great social solidarity, equality, and togetherness; characteristic of people experiencing liminality together
leveling mechanism
customs and social actions that operate to reduce differences in wealth and thus to bring standout in line with community norms
liminality
the critically important marginal or in-between phase of a rite of passage
magic
use of supernatural techniques to accomplish specific aims
mana
sacred impersonal force in Melanesian and Polynesian religions
monotheism
worship of an eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent supreme being
Olympian religions
In Wallace's typology, develop with state organization; have full-time religious specialists- professional priesthoods
polytheism
belief in several deities who control aspects of nature
religion
beliefs and rituals concerned with supernatural beings, powers, and forces
revitalization movements
movements that occur in times of change, in which religious leaders emerge and undertake
rites of passage
culturally defined activities associated with the transition from one place or stage of life to another
rituals
behavior that is formal, stylized, repetitive, and stereotyped, performed earnestly as a social act; are held at set times and places and have liturgical orders
shaman
a part-time religious practitioner who mediates between ordinary people and supernatural beings and forces
taboo
prohibition backed by supernatural sanctions
domestic-public dichotomy
contrast between women's role in the home and men's role in public life, with a corresponding social devaluation of women's work and worth
extradomestic
outside the home; within or pertaining to the public domain
gender roles
the tasks and activities that a culture assigns to each sex
gender stereotypes
oversimplified but strongly held ideas about the characteristics of males and females
gender stratification
unequal distribution of rewards (socially valued resources, power, prestige, and personal freedom) between men and women, reflecting their different positions in a social hierarchy
patriarchy
political system ruled by men in which women have inferior social and political status, including basic human rights
patrilineal-patrilocal complex
an interrelated constellation of patrilineality, patrilocality, warfare, and male supremacy
sexual dimorphism
marked differences in male and female biology besides contrast in breasts and genitals
sexual orientation
a person's habitual sexual attraction to, and activities with persons of the opposite sex (heterosexuality), the same sex (homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality)
bourgeoisie
one of Karl Marx's opposed classes; owners of the means of production
capital
wealth or resources invested in business, with the intent of producing a profit
capitalist world economy
the single world system, which emerged in the 16th century, committed to the production for sale, with the object of maximizing profits rather than supplying domestic needs
colonialism
the political, social, economic, and cultural domination of a territory and its people by a foreign power for an extended time
communism
describes a social system in which property is owned by the community and in which people work of the common good
core
dominant structural position in the world system; consists of the strongest and most powerful states with advanced systems of production
imperialism
a policy of extending the rule of a nation or empire over foreign nations and of taking and holding foreign colonies
indigenous peoples
the original inhabitants of particular territories; often descendants of tribespeople who live on as culturally distinct colonized peoples, many of whom inspire to autonomy
Industrial Revolution
the historical transformation of "traditional' into "modern" societies through industrialization of the economy
intervention philosophy
guiding principle of colonialism, conquest, missionization, or development; an ideological justification for outsiders to guide native peoples in specific directions
neoliberalism
revival of Adam Smith's classic economic liberalism, the idea that governments should not regulate private enterprise and that free market forces should rule; a currently dominant intervention philosophy
periphery
weakest structural in the world system
postcolonial
referring to interactions between European nations and the societies they colonized (mainly after 1800); more generally, it may be used to signify a position against imperialism and Eurocentrism
semiperiphery
structural position in the world system intermediate between core and periphery
working class, proletariat
those who must sell their labor to survive; the antithesis of the bourgeoisie in Marx's class analysis
world-system theory
argument for historic and contemporary social, political, and economic significance of an identifiable global system, based on wealth and power differentials, that extends beyond individual countries
Communism
a political movement and doctrine seeking to overthrow capitalism and to establish a political system such as that which prevailed in the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991
nation
once a synonym for "ethnic group," designating a single culture sharing a language, religion, history, territory, ancestry, and kinship; now usually a synonym for "state" or "nation-state
nation-state
an autonomous political entity, a country like the US or Canada
nationalities
ethnic groups that once had, or wish to have or regain, autonomous political status (their own country)
assimilation
the process of change that a minority group may experience when it moves to a country where another culture dominates; the minority is incorporated into the dominant culture to the point that it no longer exists as a separate cultural unit
plural society
a society that combines ethnic contrasts, ecological specialization (i.e. use of different environmental resources by each ethnic group) and then economic interdependence of those groups
multiculturalism
the view of cultural diversity in a country as something good and desirable; a multicultural society socializes individuals not only into the dominant (national) culture, but also into an ethnic culture
prejudice
devaluing (looking down on) a group because of its assumed behavior, values, capabilities, or attributes
stereotypes
fixed ideas- often undesirable- about what members of a group are like
discrimination
policies and practices that harm a group and its members
genocide
policies aimed at, and/or resulting in, the physical extinction (through mass murder) of a people perceived as a racial group that is, as sharing defining physical, genetic, or other biological characteristics
ethnocide
destruction by a dominant group of the culture of an ethnic group
anthropology and education
anthropological research in classrooms, homes, and neighborhoods, viewing students as total cultural creatures whose enculturation and attitudes toward education belong to a larger context that includes family, peers, and society
applied anthropology
the application of anthropological data, perspectives, theory, and methods to identify, assess and solve contemporary social problems
curer
specialized role acquired through a culturally appropriate process of selection training, certification, and acquisition of a professional image; is consulted by patients, who believe in his or her special powers, and receives some form of special consideration; a cultural universe
development anthropology
the branch of applied anthropology that focuses on social issues in, and the cultural dimension of, economic development
disease
an etic of scientifically identified health threat caused by a bacterium, virus, fungus, parasite, or other pathogen
equity, increased
a reduction in absolute poverty and fairer (more even) distribution of wealth
health care systems
beliefs, customs, and specialists concerned with ensuring health and preventing and curing illness; a cultural universe
illness
an emic condition of poor health felt by individual
medical anthropology
unites biological and cultural anthropologists in the study of disease, health problems, health care systems, and theories about illness in different cultures and ethnic groups
overinnovation
characteristic of development projects that require major changes in people's daily lives, especially ones that interfere with customary subsistence pursuits
scientific medicine
as distinguished from Western knowledge, a health care system based on scientific knowledge and procedures, encompassing such fields as pathology, microbiology, biochemistry, surgery, diagnostic technology, and applications
underdifferentiation
planning fallacy of viewing less developed countries as an underdifferentiated group; ignoring cultural diversity and adopting a uniform approach (often ethnocentric) for very different types of project beneficiaries
urban anthropology
the anthropological study of life in and around world cities, including urban social problems, differences between urban and other environments, and adaptation to city life
hypodescent
automatically places the children of a union between members of different groups in the minority group
witchcraft
the innate, inherited ability to cause people misfortune or to kill them
disapora
the offspring of an area who have spread to many lands
postmodernity
condition of a world in flux, with people-on-the-move, in which established groups, boundaries, identities, contrasts, and standards are reaching out and breaking down
postmodern
describes the blurring and breakdown of established canons (rules, standards), categories, distinctions, and boundaries
hegemony
a stratified social order in which subordinates comply with domination by internalizing their rulers' values and accepting the "naturalness" of domination
essentialism
use of one's identity as a basis of struggle while also debating issues related to group identity
Modernization Theory
Industrialization, told nonindustrial societies what to do, create economies based on industrial production and capitalist business practices